The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1887-02-17
Dairyins and Stock-Ralsing in
Lincoln County.
Editor Brnokhaven Leader:

Z y -
as a iavorite business near Elgin,
Illinois, from 1860 to 1880, and
continued in the same business from
1880 to 1885 in western Kansas. In
both places during these 81 years
he handled full -blooded and high
grade Durhams and considered them
the best strain as a general purpose
animal. During those years and in
two different States, he had ample
opportunity to test that race of
cattle, not only as a milk and butter
race, hut as meat-producing race.
lie found it required from p to 3
tons dry feed (hay) to carry milk
COW through the cold weather, and
If in milk, she required from II to
Is lbs grain rations to keep up her
flesh and supply a fair amount Of
milk. She also required to be kept
! in a warm barn from about Nov. LIST,
to May LIST 6 months). He also
found it required from 2! to 8 gal
Ions OF milk TO make one pound of
butter in cool weather and still more
in warm weather, and he further
learned that the same amount Of
hay was required to carry dry cows
and young cattle from grass TO grass
besides being kept housed in warm
barns. He further learned that it
required wells, pumps, wind mills
and tanks TO supply stock water,
not only for the summer in the pas
lures, hut also same outfit at barn in
the winter.
How is it in Lincoln county, Mis-
sissippi? In the first place, the
wells, wind mills, tanks, pumps and
pumping are all done away with,
as there are springs and pebbly
streams on nearly every eighty acres
OF land that never 60 dry or freeze
over. The large and expensive
barns required in Illinois are not
required as ton Of hay in Lincoln
county is sufficient to carry either q
milk COW or young cattle through
the winter, and plain rude shelter
which any farmer can construct
with tight rocf is sufficient foI
winter. And such stable in Lin
coin county where building material
is so plentiful and cheap can he
made for one fourth or less than the
same Accommodations cost In Hi
noiS.
In addition to the above facts
viz: mild winters, abundant stock
water, no use for expensive barns
and one-fifth the amount of dry
! feed in winter that it required al
, Elgin, Illinois, your correspondent,
, would call attention to his obser
, vations of native grass, or grasses
, that grow without seeding or plant
ing, or cultivation of any kind
Mr. C. Menelas, owner of the cele
brated Menelas Plantation neal
Broekhaven, Miss, says Ofone Of
our grasses, viz: Lespidcza Strata oil
japan clover, that "a kind provi
dence allows it to grow luxuriantly
almost all over our State, affOrding
abundant feed for stock from earl,
spring until frost. The yield is
very heavy on rich bottom lands.
1t grows where nothing else will
thrive. 1t was until lately consid
cred as very inferior grass, but
now begins to attract considerable
attention"
Mr.. Menelas mi ght have added
with propriety that it analyses II
of nutrition and that 6 months since
it could not be sold in New Orleans
for want of recognition or inspec-
ton, but that to-day the city cannot
get a supply, and that it is in de
mand at SIT per ton, while Northern
hay brings $l4.0O per ton. Your
correspondent has observed that
no bottom land is too rich, no hill
side too poor, no forest too dense,
or washout so deep that this grass
does not take hold and seem per
fectly at home and is likely to ex-
terminate all other grasses. Plan
tiers have for years been fighting it
with pillow, and hoe, and mule and
to-day on many plantations it is
king. For grazing and for hay l
place this grass as first of all the
grasses know anything of.
Bermuda, Crab grass, and pros
palum also grow all over the cot
ton belt, and neither of them needs
seeding or planting, and each and
all make the best of grazing, and
the best of hay.
But little regular systematic feed
ing of cattle is done in the Cotton
States, but your correspondent com
menced feeling November lst about
4 pounds OF hay at night to his cows
in milk and it was done in barns.
cattle tied in stancheons, and since
middle of January the hay feed has
been increased to 10 pounds per day
per cow and the same grain rations
continued to date, viz: pounds cot
ton seed, and 5 pounds wheat bran.
During the day the COWS in milk
have run in pastures and feed in the
cane brakes. His young cattle and
dry COWS have not been ont of their
pasture but once since November,
but have been fed same amount of
haV daily in the naStureS as COWS i'm